About three weeks ago I listened to a talk during our church service and was touched by one of the messages shared. The message…goodness prevails. I think I was touched because all too often we hear of the tumultuous noise and action throughout the world and sadly it overrides much of the goodness it still has to offer. It was a great reminder and adds to the hope I have for good days and happiness.

Fast forward to this past Saturday when I logged onto facebook to check my messages. A friend of mine had sent me a message with a link to a current Huffington Post article. The title…Dear ‘Daddy’ in Seat 16C Flight 1850 From Philly. Have you read this yet? Because if you haven’t I am a bit surprised. This is an article written after the original post made on Go Team Kate. After featuring this article, the post went viral and as it stands today, there have been 723 comments left on the blog, 993 tweets, and 90k like on Facebook. Yes the story is about autism, but you don’t have to be connected or related to autism in any shape or form to enjoy this post. This post relishes in goodness and that is why it has gone viral. No matter how bad or wrong the world gets goodness will always prevail. The author is the mom of an adorable autistic girl named Kate. She shares this heartfelt thank you to a man she does not know. Her only hope was that maybe somehow, someway this man might one day read her story. Little did she know her words would sound like a trumpet throughout the nation and throughout the world! Their story validates the message I heard about three weeks ago. Goodness does in deed prevail and this is why….

Dear ‘Daddy’,

I don’t know your name but Kate called you ‘daddy’ for the entire flight last week and you kindly never corrected her. In fact, you didn’t even flinch as you could probably tell that she was not confusing you with her own ‘daddy’ but instead making a judgment regarding your level of ‘safety’ for her. If she calls you ‘daddy’ then you better believe she thinks you are alright.

I sat Kate in the middle seat knowing full well that there would be a stranger sitting next to her for the duration of this flight. I had to make a quick decision and based on her obsession with opening and closing the window shade I figured she might be less of a distraction if she sat in the middle. I watched the entire Temple basketball team board the plane and wondered if one of these giants might sit by Kate. They all moved toward the back. She would have liked that, she would have made some observations that I would have had to deal with but she would have liked those players. I watched many Grandmotherly women board and hoped for one to take the seat but they walked on by. For a fleeting moment I thought we might have a free seat beside us and then you walked up and sat down with your briefcase and your important documents and I had a vision of Kate pouring her water all over your multi-million dollar contracts, or house deeds, or whatever it was you held. The moment you sat down, Kate started to rub your arm. Your jacket was soft and she liked the feel of it. You smiled at her and she said: “Hi, Daddy, that’s my mom.” Then she had you.

You could have shifted uncomfortably in your seat. You could have ignored her. You could have given me that ‘smile’ that I despise because it means; ‘manage your child please.’ You did none of that. You engaged Kate in conversation and you asked her questions about her turtles. She could never really answer your questions but she was so enamored by you that she keep eye contact and joint attention on the items you were asking her about. I watched and smiled. I made a few polite offers to distract her, but you would have none of it.

Kate: (Upon noticing you had an IPad) Is dis Daddy’s puduter?

You: This is my IPad. Would you like to see it?

Kate: To me?????? (I know she thought you were offering it to her to keep)

Me: Look with your eyes, Kate. That is not yours.

Kate: Dat’s nice!

You: (Upon noticing that Kate had an IPad) I like your computer, too. It has a nice purple case.

Kate: Daddy wanna be a bad guy? (She offered shredder to you and that, my friend, is high praise)

You: Cool.

The interaction went on and on and you never once seemed annoyed. She gave you some moments of peace while she played with her Anna and Elsa dolls. Kind of her to save you from playing barbies, but I bet you wouldn’t have minded a bit. I bet you have little girls, too.

Not long before we landed Kate had reached her limit. She screamed to have her seatbelt off, she screamed for me to open the plane door and she cried repeating, “Plane is cwosed (closed)” over and over. You tried to redirect her attention to her toys. She was already too far gone at this point, but the fact that you tried to help your new little friend made me emotional.

In case, you are wondering. She was fine the moment we stepped off the plane. Thank you for letting us go ahead of you. She was feeling overwhelmed and escaping the plane and a big, long hug was all she needed.

So, thank you. Thank you for not making me repeat those awful apologetic sentences that I so often say in public. Thank you for entertaining Kate so much that she had her most successful plane ride, yet. And, thank you for putting your papers away and playing turtles with our girl.

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A blog about the lives of a young family, Where Did the Bird Go focuses on raising children, being a mother, and autism. A conglomeration of delicious recipes, engaging personal stories, and whatever else comes to mind, these articles are meant as tips or ideas for parents with autistic children, or any children for that matter.